Escanaba will not have an ice rink for the 2025 winter season, and it’s looking unlikely for Gladstone.

According to Parks and Recreation Director Kim Peterson, the municipal ice rink in Escanaba was last opened in 2021. It was officially taken out of the city’s 2024-2025 budget.

“We used to have one at Royce (Park) and one at Webster (Elementary School); we combined it through the 5-year rec plan. It was a priority project; we moved it to the civic center, and we had it for maybe two years, and then for three years, we did not because of the weather. There was no frost on the ground, so we couldn’t make ice, and this past year, they took it out of the budget,” Peterson said.

The hope was that Enhance Escanaba would have their portable rink ready, but Peterson said that project is still in the works.

The Escanaba City Council approved the request to construct the rink back in June of 2024, but funds are still being raised.

She also said the municipal rink wasn’t being used when the city had the rink.

“Everybody said they wanted it, but nobody was here,” she said.

When it was open, staff provided complimentary skates for kids and adults, but it wasn’t utilized nearly as much as anticipated.

She added it was also expensive to operate as the city had to pay someone to make layers and layers of ice.

“It’s one of those things that kinda phased away,” she said.

Unfortunately, it seems that the rink in Gladstone will not be available for the season either. This year, An equipment failure and a depleted pond are the culprits, and Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Robert Brown is doubtful that the rink will open in time.

“We’ve had some pump issues. We had our upper motor bearings go in our pump house. So, we put everything on pause and redirected all of our efforts to the tubing hill,” he said.

The pond where the rink typically sits does not have as much water as usual, contributing to its delayed or even possibly canceled opening.

“It’s not regenerating like it has been because of the drought last year, I suspect,” he explained.

The pond, mechanical issues, and impending warmer weather forced Brown to put their attention elsewhere besides the skating rink.

“I’m really just pushing that to the back burner right now and focusing on tubes,” he said.

He said an indicator will be the weather; if any more warm weather follows this week, it will likely not open.

While it’s bad news about the ice rink, locals will be happy to know that the tubing hill is opening for the season this Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. It will also be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 6 p.m. The sports park is located at 900 North Bluff Drive in Gladstone.